Over The Boardwalk.

An acrylic painting on 1000 x 700mm canvas just to keep my flow going during the first part of this year. This composition was going to be of a Hercules C130 transporter flying low over Crow Point at sunset, but after completion I have decided to omit it. My wife and I had been walking around the Point from Saunton Beach then decided, as it was getting late, to walk back along the boarwalk before the light went. Looking back towards the sunset the sun bleached boards were almost luminous under the ebbing light. This is my attempt at setting that scene! Al

Essence of Dartmoor.

The finished acrylic 600 x 300mm on gesso panel.  A little laboured and glad it’s done I think I’ll return to canvas as the surface suits my painting style.  This image is of a scene on Dartmoor although it’s actually two different locations photoshopped together to create and essence!  A little like those Roger Dean album covers he did for the band Yes!  Very difficult to photo the actual colours as, again, the titanium white overpowers the image.

To The Point.

The first out of the blocks for this year a warm up as I’ve not painted for over a month. Another Biddie Black of one of my favourite walks out to Crow Point in North Devon. New Year’s Day 2010 was very busy here with people observing the latest lockdown. I’m really surprised with this as for many years Crow Point has remained quiet, even in the summer. During the Covid Pandemic locals have reacquainted themselves with this quiet beach and now it’s busier than I have ever seen. It was lovely to bump into a few friends here that I’ve not spoken to in a long time.

To Morte Point.

Another lock down so my wife and I spent a cold afternoon walking around my favourite section of the North Devon coast, from Bull Point Lighthouse to Morte Point then back into Mortehoe. It was surprising to see so many people out but social distancing was adhered. There was a large group of teenagers at the top of the hill by Mortehoe Station gathered together without masks. The weather was quite warm with no wind, that was until we rounded the Point, then the cutting winter wind reared it’s ugly head. There were some unusual cattle roaming the hills, all black except for a band of white around their bodies. My wife named them the Oreo Cows after the biscuit. By the time we arrived back the light had gone so a slow dark drive home. The Pen & Ink drawing at the top was completed a few years ago, today’s image almost matches the original.

The Cannis Aground.

Another visitation to The Cannis, a boat I painted during the summer of 2020 during partial lockdown. It has left it’s secluded mooring and is now on the other side of the River Torridge in North Devon. I was driving past and just couldn’t resist taking some pictures of it’s new setting. After walking across the wet estuary grass I had to jump a muddy tidal gap to make it to the boat. This I managed and took the pictures below, although I have played with them. I just love the dereliction of this scene so perhaps another painting for the future!

Aircraft over the Burrows!

Well I couldn’t resist these images. After a long walk on New Year’s Day around Crow Point in North Devon I photoshopped these images of WW2 aircraft onto some of my pictures taken today.
At the top a Bristol Beaufighter coming in low over the Burrows. Below Spitfires flying over the concrete landing craft used to train the American troops for D Day! Al

Some of the work completed in 2020.

These are a few of the paintings I’ve completed this year! I would like to say thank you to all the encouragement I’ve received and those that have purchase a little bit of me! I will return to the easel in 2021 with a vengeance and hopefully with new found enthusiasm after an odd 2020! Oh and yes I now realise there are two of the same pictures in this collage, my wife’s so smart! Al

The end of a stressful 2020 a collage of work colleagues at NDDH.

The end of a rather stressful year at North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple, England. This collage is of sketches completed by myself during this year’s Covid Epidemic! We’re all hoping that 2021 will be better for everyone, in the last few days most of us have had our Covid Vaccinations. This post is dedicated to those we’ve sadly lost during 2020, although not related to Covid, memories of them will remain ever present! Al

Baggy Point in North Devon.

A few pictures of mine inspired by Baggy Point in North Devon. I’ve shopped some Hercules Transporters in the first and a Spitfire in the second. In the distance you can see Croyde Beach famous for its surf. I’ve climbed Baggy Point many times over the years with one of the climbs oddly titled Kinky Boots as seen in the picture below!
I’ve recently taken a few weeks out of my painting schedule to have a break and gain fresh inspiration. I’ve been fighting with my usual illustrative techniques and have been attempting to find new directions, sadly to no avail. I hope in the New Year to start with fresh optimism and enthusiasm. See you in 2021. Al

The essence of Dartmoor.

Again this is me playing with adobe photoshop to created some form of composition. The images that comprise this picture are from a visit to Two Bridges on Dartmoor at the beginning of this pandemic in March. I use adobe as a form of preparatory sketching to finalise the painting to be. I love these wind blown trees and often when I use them they allude to those Yes albums by Roger Dean, unintentionally I may add! Al